Top Story: Gov't Justifies 48-hour Ultimatum To BECE Candidates

Gov't justifies 48-hour ultimatum to BECE candidates

Government has defended a directive for Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates who could not be posted to Senior High Schools across the country to reapply within 48-hours.

The Deputy Minister of State in charge of pre-Tertiary Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, while addressing the press on Monday, explained that, the directive will ensure a speedy placement of the affected candidates.

The Ghana Education Service (GES), last week Friday announced the posting of over 400,000 BECE candidates to various Senior High Schools in the country through the Computerized School Selection Placement System.

It said over 36,000 were not placed because they failed in either English or Mathematics.

The GES subsequently asked qualified students who were not placed to "go online and select an option available within 48 hoursâ€¦"

However, GES has been lambasted over the 48 hour ultimatum with some groups including the Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition (GNECC) describing it as "unreasonable."

But Dr. Adutwum insisted that the 48-hour ultimatum was in the interest of the candidates.

"We understand that there was a communiquÃ© from us about making sure that within 48 hours parents are able to check and enroll their students, sign up and print their admission letters. This was in no way to rush them. It was an opportunity for us to make sure that this year, for the first time in many years our schools will open early enough so that we are able to really get students to use the three years as possible in their studies."

He said in time past, because second cycle schools re-open a bit late, first year students spend only few weeks in school before they go for vacation "as a result, some students go to school in January which means one term is usually wasted."

"â€¦And at the end of the three years, WAEC also conducts their exams beginning in February. So in essence what was meant for three years becomes two years. That is what we are trying to avoid so parents should not panic. What we are saying is that, we will give you the opportunity; at the end of the two days if your child is not enrolled we are not going to cut them off. We will work with you, we are monitoring the situation," Dr. Adutwum added.

By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey
Published by GWS Online GH : 2017-09-05

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